§ MR. TALBOT (Oxford University)To ask the Postmaster-General whether it has been brought to his notice that the dated postmarks being often used for obliterating purposes are so obscured by the postage stamps that it is difficult to discover the hour or day on which the letter was posted; and whether he can give instructions that the dated postmarks shall be kept distinct from the stamps, as is done already in some post offices.
(Answered by Mr. Austen Chamberlain.) My attention has been directed to this matter, and I quite recognise the inconvenience caused by using the date stamp as an obliterator. I hope by degrees to largely increase the use of stamping machines with a date stamp separate from the obliterator, such as are already employed to a considerable extent in London.